Labor Day Recipes with a Bit o’ Sass

Each year, I wait for the first morning I have a sense that Fall is right around the corner, teasing me. The humidity is gone, skies are clear and blue, and there’s a gentle breeze. One cruel morning this week hinted of just that, but it was gone before I knew it. A long Labor Day weekend lies ahead, and hot sunny days perfect for a day at the beach or barbeque are what most long for. But this last gasp of summer brings memories of school for me. A rest from all the shopping for clothes and supplies, from setting up yet another classroom, attending meetings to prepare for the new year, and seemingly endless lesson plans that waited to be written. I always looked forward to Labor Day weekend because I could leave all the business of the weeks preceding for a day or two to think about food, family, and relaxation.

Labor Day weekend also represents something else, though. It often coincides with my birthday, and this year the holiday falls on the same day of the week I was born — Monday. Pretty appropriate, don’t you think? I’m sure my mother did because I was her first born. I’m thinking about making myself a cheesecake like my mother always did, but in the meantime, thinking about great food to share for the holiday weekend in general is more in order. So I’ve decided to organize the recipes I’d love to sample here instead of tagging cookbooks and magazines, or making a list in my notebook like I normally do. It’s a list of Labor Day Recipes with a Bit o’ Sass — because that’s what I’m usually in the mood for.

Enjoy and by all means, share what you think would be a great addition to this list by adding a link in the comments. Party on!

Oh, and you might think the recipes I’ve included from my own archives in this list are a bit on the shi-shi side of things, but they really aren’t all that.

Okay, so I’m from California.

Does it count that I’m a transplanted “Zonie” and childhood Navy Brat?

Read on, dear friend. Read on, because I’ve included other great recipes from foodies whom I greatly admire — and I do think they’re all that.